Humanizing Korea: E. Tammy Kim

In 2023, KEI has set out on its "Rethinking Korea initiative," which explores the evolution of U.S.-Korea relations, Korea's place in the world, and rapid changes in Korean society itself. The initiative involves both retrospective inquiry as well as prospective analysis about future trends. Our guest today is someone who covers the Korean Peninsula as a writer and journalist, with a deep personal connection to it.

 

E. Tammy Kim is a contributing writer at The New Yorker, the cohost of her own podcast, Time to Say Goodbye, a contributing editor at Lux magazine, and a fellow at Type Media Center. 

 

In our conversation, we explore various topics, including her own connection to the Korean Peninsula, common misunderstandings and biases between the United States and the Koreas, her past writing on both the hope and failure of engagement with North Korea, her ongoing investigation of the longstanding U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula, and contradictions surrounding South Korea’s place within a broader U.S. hegemonic structure.